Week 5 NCAAF Power Rankings

Recap of NCAAF Week 4 | Heading into Week 5

Week 4 is officially in the books and not much has changed on Paradise Picks Power Rankings. The Tide Rolled! The Bulldogs of GA handled business, and so did everyone else. Let’s dive into this weeks Top 10 plus our leans for each a game. Current record stands at 19-8 through the first 4 weeks.

1.) Alabama

Surprise! Bama continues to hold the number one spot in the Power Rankings. The Aggies came to town and never really had a chance. Yes, they stayed within the spread but Alabama controlled the game from start to finish. Louisiana Lafayette heads to Tuscaloosa this week as 48 point underdogs. The Tide is currently 3-1 ATS however can the Ragin Cajuns keep it within the 48 points? Sometimes you have to take a stand on these massive spreads but now is not the time. Final thought: no one is challenging the Tide till their showdown with LSU on November 3rd.

Lean: Alabama -48

2.) Clemson

Well, things just got interesting at Clemson. Trevor Lawrence has proven to be the better QB this season, but with Kelly Bryant transferring, how will the team respond? Bryant was well liked on the team, with a very successful record. However, Dabo is taking one out of Saban’s book and making the right decision. The only way Clemson wins a national championship this year is with Lawrence under center. Clemson is 1-3 ATS but owns a 4-0 record. This week, they are 24 point favorites against Syracuse. Syracuse has a horrible defense however they move fast on offense and should be able to score. The difference will be Trevor Lawrence, he should shred the Orange’s defense.

Lean: Clemson -24

3.) Georgia

The Bulldogs are still number 3 this week, and things will surely start to shake out over the course of the season. There is no doubt Georgia will be playing for a shot at the playoffs at the end of the season. They traveled to Missouri this past week and after a slow start finally got it going. Traveling anywhere and getting a win is impressive in itself. They ended up pushing on the point spread, and this week they host Tennessee who is in complete train wreck mode. The Bulldogs are 31 point favorites. That’s a lot of point, but expect Georgia to cover and move to 3-1-1 ATS.

Lean: Georgia -31

4.) Ohio State

Welcome back Urban! The Buckeyes move to 4-0 on the season and a cool 3-1 ATS. This week is probably the toughest challenge of the season as they travel to Penn State to battle the white out. Penn State had a battle in week 1 against App St, but have really turned things on since then. Currently, the Buckeyes are 4 point favorites and even though it will be a major challenge you should expect the Buckeyes to walk out with the victory.

Lean: Ohio State – 4

5.) Notre Dame

The Irish jump up one spot in the Power Rankings. Notre Dame traveled to Wake Forest and put a complete beat down on the Demon Deacons. There seems to be a common trend in college football: finding a quarterback. This week Brian Kelly started Ian Book at QB and it appears the Irish are a real threat to make the college football playoffs. Ian Book when for 325 yards, and the offense looked smooth for the first time this year. Stanford comes to South Bend this week and what a game it should be. Bryce Love against that nasty Irish defense should be an amazing match up. Can the Irish continue to move against a solid Cardinals defense? Currently the Irish are 5 point favorites. Expect them to move to 5-0 and cover the spread.

Lean: Notre Dame -5

6.) LSU

The Tigers continue to climb in the Power Rankings. This past week LSU hosted Louisiana Tech and the Tigers did what they had to do to cruise through the game. Coming off such an emotional win against Auburn the week prior LSU is happy to get another W against an in-state school. This week Ole Miss brings its talents to Death Valley to take on the Tigers. Currently, the line sits at -10.5 in favor of LSU. It’s really hard to back Ole Miss right now considering they don’t play defense. Sure the Rebels can score because they have the NWO, but it’s doubtful they can get many stops.

Lean: LSU -10.5

7.) Oklahoma

The Sooners escaped last week against Army in OT. Paradise Picks locked in Army at +33 and the spread was never in doubt. Army played ball control and held the ball for 45 minutes. The Sooners move on to Baylor this week, and while Baylor looked good last week you can’t read too much into it considering it was against Kansas. Currently, the line is 24 points in favor of Boomer Sooner. Expect Baylor to put up some points, but the Sooners will slice and dice the Baylor defense. Oklahoma has Texas on deck, so hopefully they can keep their players in tact for the game.

Lean: Oklahoma -24

8.) Stanford

Overcoming a 17 point deficit at Oregon is very impressive. Oregon had every chance to win that game and couldn’t close the door. This week the Cardinals don’t get it any easier as they travel to South Bend to take on the Fighting Irish at 7:30 PM EST. This game could go a long way in determining the college football playoff picture. It will be very interesting to see if Bryce Love can get it going against a tough Irish defense. With the change at QB for Notre Dame except the Irish to cover the 5 point spread. Stanford is coming off an emotional win against the Ducks.

Lean: Notre Dame -5

9.) Auburn

The Tigers are back home this week after taking care of business at Arkansas. Southern Miss comes to town as 27 point underdogs. Auburn will win this game with ease, but 27 points might be too much. It’s hard to tell since Southern Miss has been up and down this year. We will lean Auburn here to cover since they are at home and have a great defense.

Lean: Auburn -27

10.) Penn State

Saturday night things get real in Happy Valley. The Buckeyes come to town looking to stay undefeated against Penn State and the white out. It will be interesting to see how Ohio States defense matches up with Penn States offense. This year the Buckeyes have been vulnerable at the linebacker spots. However, there is just too much fire power on offense for the Buckeyes. Expect Ohio State to look to get a lead early, and then control the game with running the ball.